Using Label-free imaging techniques to further understanding of Multiple Sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects nearly 2.3 million young adults worldwide. In cases of MS, the immune system promotes an attack on the central nervous system (CNS), often leading to disability and degeneration.   The MS lesion is traditionally considered the leading indicator of CNS damage and thus has been studied for decades through various clinical pathological methods. However, it has been found that surrounding regions in the brain, known as 'normal-appearing' white matter (NAWM), also present some abnormalities in MS cases.   Label-free imaging techniques, such as coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) have proven to be effective tools for investigating these NAWM abnormalities due to their ability to accurately examine lipid-rich structures like myelin. Prof. Peter Stys and his research group at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary studied these abnormalities in the NAWM regions with these methods: in their research, they utilized Clark-MXR's IMPULSE fiber laser coupled with novel dual-NOPA setup to perform spectrally chirped CARS (sCARS). Read more: Further information can be found in "Lipid biochemical changes detected in normal appearing white matter of chronic multiple sclerosis by spectral coherent Raman imaging", K. W. C. Poon, C. Brideau, R. Klaver, G. J. Schenk, J. J. Geurts and P. K. Stys. Chem. Sci., 2018, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C7SC03992A

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Using lasers to produce faster electronics and better solar cells       Recently, the concept of integrating photonics and electronics, with the goal of producing faster electronics and more effective solar cells, has been attracting a significant amount of interest. To properly understand this idea, the small-scale electronic and photovoltaic processes must be investigated on the atomic or molecular level. Prof. Hrvoje Petek and his research group at the University of Pittsburgh are aiming to do just that, operating under the notion that processes cannot be controlled until they are adequately measured. To perform their investigations, the research group used a two-photon photoemission spectroscopy method, enabled by IMPULSE laser and NOPA from Clark-MXR. The researchers specifically examined processes occurring at the interface of silver nanoparticles and TiO2, where a combination of optical, electronic and chemical properties are all taking place. The metal nanoparticles were efficient at absorbing light, due to Plasmon resonance, which concentrated energy before transferring to a semiconductor substrate. Some details of the exact mechanism remain unexplored, but the group's recent publication "Plasmonic coupling at a metal/semiconductor interface" examines the energy transfer mechanism in this metal/semiconductor heterojunction to understand the relationship between light and electronics. For further in-depth reading, please see the full publication: Plasmonic coupling at a metal/semiconductor interface, Shijing Tan, Adam Argondizzo, Jindong Ren, Liming Liu, Jin Zhao and Hrvoje Petek, Nature Photonics, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-017-0049-4